Show love for the Earth this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day, February 14, is a day filled with cards, sweets, flowers and gifts. Like many holidays, its celebration can create unintentional environmental side effects, such as the consumption of natural resources and the generation of solid waste. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

When showing their affection for each other, Americans tend to go all out. For example:

198 million roses: The number produced for Valentine’s Day in 2010, according to the Society of American Florists.

141 million Valentine’s Day cards: The number exchanged each year (not including packaged kids’ Valentines for classroom exchanges), according to Hallmark. This makes Valentine’s Day the second-largest holiday for giving greeting cards.

$14.1 billion: The amount Americans were expected to spend on traditional Valentine’s Day merchandise in 2010, according to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation.

Here are some suggestions for showing the Earth some affection, while celebrating with those near and dear to you:

Send an e-Valentine in lieu of a paper Valentine. If sending a paper Valentine, be certain to send one that is printed on paper containing recycled-content. Don’t forget to recycle Valentines you have received that you aren’t keeping!

Give organic or locally-grown flowers, a potted plant, a tree seedling, or a perennial plant instead of the traditional bouquet of flowers. Trees well suited for the southeastern United States include oaks, maples, redbuds, crape myrtles, dogwoods, and tulip poplars. Perennials suitable for the southeastern United States include roses, chrysanthemums, peonies, and hostas.

Give organic or fair-trade chocolates. Organic chocolates are produced in an eco-friendly manner without the use of pesticides, and fair-trade chocolates ensure that cacao farmers work in healthy, sustainable, and safe environments while receiving a fair wage for their products.

Arrange dinner at a local restaurant that specializes in organic or locally-grown food, or make your own romantic meal with locally-grown ingredients. Eating locally reduces the number of miles that your food travels to you and supports local establishments. Cooking your own meal will also save gas and money while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.

Commit to going green at work and home. Several easy ideas include turning lights off when leaving the room, shutting down your computer at the end of the day, creating a dedicated home recycling area, washing only full loads of dishes and laundry, moderating your thermostat when leaving your house or office for extended periods of time, unplugging appliances not in use, and printing or using both sides of paper when possible.